Mitchell

Robinson

Added to the Knicks’ injury report on Friday morning, Towns is good to go. He’ll take on his usual role as the starting center, with Mitchell Robinson remaining in the backup spot.

Towns was left off the initial injury report, but popped up as questionable for personal reasons Friday morning. The 30-year-old center’s status for the game against the Nets is up in the air. Mitchell Robinson would start with Ariel Hukporti as the backup center if Towns is ruled out.

Robinson was initially listed as questionable with a back injury, but was cleared for Tuesday’s game against the Pacers. With Karl-Anthony Towns also available, Robinson will serve in his usual reserve role.

Robinson has posted strong numbers over the last week, and his absence will mean Karl-Anthony Towns will need to shoulder a heavier load on both ends of the court. Ariel Hukporti could take on some additional minutes as Towns’ primary backup.

Towns is back after a one-game absence, having missed Friday’s win over the Pacers. His return means that Mitchell Robinson, who grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds, will return to his usual reserve role.

Having grabbed 21 rebounds on three separate occasions in his NBA career, Robinson broke that seal on Friday. Starting for Karl-Anthony Towns (knee), the Knicks’ center shot 60 percent from the field and recorded 22 rebounds. Add in the steals and blocks, and this was an excellent night for those who streamed Robinson. If Towns can’t play in Sunday’s game against the Warriors, do not hesitate to add Robinson.

The Knicks won’t have Josh Hart or Karl-Anthony Towns for Friday’s game, opening two spots in the starting lineup. Shamet and Robinson are the replacements, with the former making a second consecutive start.

The Knicks will be without two starters for Friday’s game, with Towns joining Hart on the sidelines. Landry Shamet, who started for Hart in Wednesday’s win over the Jazz, should retain that role in the final game of New York’s road trip. The other replacement in the starting lineup is Mitchell Robinson, with Ariel Hukporti serving as the backup.

The Pacers don’t play a traditional center apart from Jay Huff, and they have been resting a lot of their players lately, so the Knicks may be trying to give Towns a rest day before their Sunday game against the Warriors. If Towns were to miss this game, Mitchell Robinson would likely start, and Mo Diawara would play more minutes as a small-ball center.

Robinson sat out on Monday, which was the second night of a back-to-back. He’ll be back to occupying his typical reserve role against Utah, which means Ariel Hukporti will lose out on minutes after logging 12 as the backup against the Clippers.